Cartons



April 23, 1957 s.- FELDMAN "CARTONS Filed June 3, 1954 effectively re-sealed condition.

United States Patent C CARTONS Samuel H. Feldman, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application June 3, 1954, Serial No. 434,109 1 Claims. (Cl. 229 -51) This invention relates to an improvement in cartons and more particularly to cardboard cartons of the type conventionally employed for packaging breakfast foods and the like. More particularly the invention relates to that type of carton wherein the top is sealed through the medium of tabs attached to the 'upper edges of the four walls of the carton and folded inwardly in overlapping relation and adhesively secured together to form a tightly sealed top closure.

Cartons of this type present a certain difiiculty in opening to obtain access to the contents, and once opened have no means for re-closing in a manner to obtain an While frequently these cartons are provided with inner bag-like containers, such containers are easily disrupted and are incapable in themselves of providing adequate protection for the contents after the carton has been opened. Aside from inability to effectively re-seal the carton'after it has been once opened and a portion of the contents removed, the package after opening usually presents an unsightly and ragged appearance which is highly distasteful.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a carton of this type having simple and effective means for facilitating the initial opening of the carton along predetermined lines and for thereafter efficiently and neatly re-sealing the carton in a manner affording thorough protection for the contents and restoring the original neat appearance of the carton or an equivalent thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the attached drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a carton made in accordance with the invention showing the top closure flaps spread outwardly as they would appear prior to the initial sealing of the carton;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the carton after the top closure flaps have been folded inwardly and adhesively secured together to seal the top of the carton;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective showing the carton after the initial step in opening the top to afiford access to the contents, the fiaps in this stage retaining their adhesively connected relation and the flap assembly as a whole being separated from the body of the carton along the upper edges of three walls, the connection of the assembly with the fourth wall constituting a hinged connection about which the adhesively bonded flap assembly may be turned outwardly to uncover the top of the carton;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 but showing the flap assembly, the two end walls and the front wall of the carton, modified in accordance with the invention to provide an effective re-sealing device, and

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective on a reduced scale showing the modified top closure in operative position.

With reference to the drawings a carton made in accordance with my invention comprises from and rear walls, 1 and 2 respectively, and end wall 3 and 4 of lesser transverse width than the said front and rear Walls,

ice

although this difference in width is not essential. Closure flaps 5, 6, 7 and 8 are connected to the upper edges of the front, rear and two side walls respectively, the connection being such that the flaps may be turned about the junctures as hinges between outboard positions as shown in Fig. 1 and inboard positions in which they lie in superimposed relation over the otherwise open top of the carton. In the present instance, in forming the top closure, the end flaps 7 and 8 are first turned inwardly over the open top of the carton, the front flap 5 is then turned rearwardly above the flaps 7 and 8, and the rear flap 6 is then turned forwardly over the top of the flap 5. Prior to this operation the confronting surfaces of the respective flaps are coated with a suitable-adhesive which serves to-bind the flaps together in the form of atop closure assembly of the character illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

In accordance with the invention the material of the side walls 1, 3 and 4, preferably at the extreme upper edges of these walls, is scored along lines indicated at 9, 10 and 11 to weaken the walls to the extent that application of adequate pressure will tend to tear the material along these lines and to separate the top closure as a whole from the walls 1, 3 and 4 as shown in Fig. 3. Also in accordance with the invention the flaps 5 and 6 and the flaps 7 and 8 are similarly scored to weakened along registering lines indicated collectively by the reference numeral 12 in Fig. 2 so that after the top closure assembly has been separated from the tWo side and front walls as described above, portions of the said assembly may be readily separated to leave an abbreviated assembly or composite flap 16 of the form shown in Fig. '4.

Still further the invention contemplates provision in the front Wall 1 of the carton at'a point adjacent the upper edge of and parallel to the latter of a scored line 13 on which the wall may be readily ruptured to provide a slot 18, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Finally the upper portions of the walls 3 and 4 are lightly scored along vertical lines midway between the vertical edges of these walls and extending downwardly a suitable distance from the upper edge, to the extent say of one-half the height of the walls, said lines being indicated by the reference numerals 14 and 15 respectively. Along these lines the walls may be readily folded or creased inwardly after the manner illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. When the sides are so folded inwardly the upper edges of the front and rear walls 1 and 2 may be brought together so as to lie one against the other, and thereafter the top flap may be folded forwardly over this common edge so as to permit insertion of the triangular tab 17 of the flap 16 into the slot 18. In this manner the upper edge of the carton is again closed and securely sealed to an extent excluding dust, air and moisture, and the closure thus formed may be readily opened and reclosed as required. The form of the carton top when thus closed is clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

In cartons of this type the adhesive bond between the relatively short top closure flaps 7 and 8 and the overlying flap 5 is frequently relatively weak, so that after the carton has been opened to the extent shown in Fig. 3, the flaps 7 and 8 may be separated from the underside of the flap 5. Under these circumstances it will not be necessary to provide the scored lines 12 in the flaps 7 and 8, and they may be confined to the flaps 5 and 6.

I claim:

1. In a carton of the type having a sealed top closure comprising a flap secured to each of the front, rear and two side walls of the carton at the upper edges of said walls and adhesively bonded in overlapped relation, means to facilitate separation of the top closure as a unit from three walls of said carton so as to leave said closure unit connected at one edge to the upper edge of the fourth wall, means for facilitating removal of a portion of said unit aldng" predetermined" lines attending a relatively narrow composite flap extending the full length of the wall to which the said unit is connected and having a projecting tab at the free edge thereof opposite the said connected edge, the'two walls ofthefcairton immediately adjoining the said connected edge of the composite flap being fol'dable inwardly after separation of the top closure each along 'a'median line extending from the upper'edge' 'of the wall to forms tucks and to bring theup'p'er'edges of the two" other walls into congruence whereby the com:

is so folded over the edge of the'said wall to hold the flap in the top closing position;

2. A carton according to claim 1 comprising scored lines in the top closure along which the closure maybe divided to form the composite flap and its tab, and a line to indicate the location of the tab-receiving slot.

3. A carton according to claim 2, comprising scored lines at the upper edges of the three walls from which the top closure is to be separated, and similar lines in the side walls to facilitate the folding of those walls to bring the upper edges of the other two walls into'congruence.

4. A carton blank comprising four panels adapted to form the respective side walls of the carton and each having a flap at an end edge adapted to be folded into overlapped relation each with the others to form a top closure for the carton, a scored line at the base of three of said flaps to facilitate separation thereof from their respective walls, scored lines on the fourth of said flaps extending generally parallel to the base thereof on which the outer portions of the flap may be separated to leave a relatively narrow flap with a tab projecting from the free edge thereof opposite the base edge, and correspondmg scored lines on the flap opposite said fourth flap 5. In a carton of the type having a sealed top closure comprising a flap-secured to each of the front, rear and two side walls of the carton at the upper edges of said walls and adhesively bonded in overlapped relation to form a closure unit, means to facilitate separation of the top closure unit from three walls of said carton so as to leave said closure unit connected at one edge to the upper edge of the fourth wall, means to indicate a line on said unit extending generally parallel to the upper edge of said fourth wall and along which the closure unit after separation from the other walls may be divided so as to leave a relatively narrow composite fiaphinged to the upper edge of the'fourth'wall, said line extending the full length of said fourth wall and being shaped to provide a projecting tab at the free edge of said flap opposite to the hinged edge, the two walls of the carton immediately adjoining the said fourth wall having crease lines extending downwardly from the upper edges of said walls on which the'said walls after separation therefromof the closure unit may be deflected inwardly to form tucks bringing the upper edges of the two other walls into congruence whereby the composite flap may be folded on its hinged connection with the said fourth wall over the free edge of the. confronting wall so as to hold the walls together and to seal thetop of the carton, and means to provide a slot in the said confronting wall of the carton in position to receive thetabof said composite flap when the latter is so folded over the edge of said wall to retain the flap' in top-closing position.

6. A canton according to claim 5 wherein the means to facilitate separation of the top closure unit from the said'thre walls of the carton consist of scorings at the juncture ofs'aid three walls withthe closure unit. 7. A carton according to claim 5 wherein the top closure unit is scored along the said line of division so .as to facilitatethe' division of said unit.

References Cited in the'file of. this patent UNITED" STATES PATENTS 

